Interlude: The knighting of Obi-wan Kenobi
by 4gardiean
Summary: The events that lead up to Obi-wan's knighting.
1. Chapter 1

**35 BBY**

On board, a T-6 shuttle a twenty-year-old man walks down a corridor from the cockpit to one of the quarters the shuttle has. The young man looks troubled once he reaches the quarter and opens the door. Inside the quarter, a man with brown hair lies on a bunk bed with a blanket covering him. The man's eyes are closed, his forehead is covered in sweat and he doesn't react to the person entering the room he is in. The young man walks towards the bunk bed and kneels down beside it. He calmly puts a hand on the older males forehead to measure his temperature. What he feels worries him as his companion feels really cold despite the sweat covering his forehead. The young man stands up and walks to the side of the room where two bags stand containing their supplies. Inside are clothing, a few blankets and other things they need. He quickly takes one of the blankets out to cover the older male with.

"Master, we will be reaching the temple in thirty minutes. Hang in there" The young man says after covering his companion in another blanket to keep the coldness of space from him. He knows that his master needs the care of the temple healers soon if he is to survive his injuries. Knowing he can't do anything anymore for his master the young man walks back to the cockpit to monitor the ship during the last part of their journey home.

* * *

Ten minutes later a ship leaves hyperspace and enters the space above Coruscant. Within a few seconds, it is contacted by Coruscant traffic control. Because the ship gives a diplomatic jedi signal it is quickly given a vector to the temple district. The trip through this vector takes about fifteen minutes as it is a busy vector at the busiest time of the day. Once it is close to the end of the vector the ship is contacted by temple control and says

"Tranquility, this is temple control. Please follow vector 220 to the main landing bay"

"Temple control, this is senior padawan Obi-wan Kenobi. My master was injured in an explosion on Toswao and is in urgent need of healers" padawan Kenobi replies and has to wait one minute before he is contacted again by temple control

"Padawan Kenobi, we read you. Follow vector 358 to the medical hangar. Healers will be awaiting your arrival there in a few minutes"

"Understood, vector 358 to the medical hangar" padawan Kenobi replies while making the necessary adjustments to put the ship on the appropriate vector. He knows that this is a vector that is only used for medical emergencies as it is located almost next to the healing wing. Three minutes pass and he enters the medical hangar where he lands his ship. He can see a group of healers awaiting him there together with Master Windu. Quickly walking to the boarding ramp, he lowers it and the healers immediately swarm the ship. He knows that they will be able to tell where his master is without his help so he doesn't say anything nor goes after them. Instead, he turns to master Windu who is waiting for him at the bottom of the boarding ramp.

"Padawan Kenobi, welcome back. I hope you had a good trip home under the circumstances" master Windu says when Obi-wan reaches him.

"Master, the mission it ..." Obi-wan begins but master Windu cuts him off by holding up his hand and saying

"The report of your mission can wait until we have word on your master's condition and you yourself have freshened up"

"Of course, master" Obi-wan says. Together they follow the healers who have already left the ship and are moving his master to the healing wing so that they can treat his injuries. Once there master Windu is told by the attendants to wait while Obi-wan is taken aside by the healers for a medical exam. They want to make sure he is healthy and doesn't have any injuries his is unaware of, has forgotten about or didn't notice. This is the case because Master Jinn has been severely injured and they don't know if Obi-Wan was in the same situation as his master. Obi-wan doesn't like the medical exam as he is told to undress so that they can do a bodily check. Personally, he deems these checks the worst there are. They are highly embarrassing in his opinion. Also, he knows that resisting if futile because the healers then will turn to dirty tactics to get their job done. One of their favorites tactics is to give an anesthesia to the patient something which he, unfortunately, had to endure one time too many in his opinion. He knows that he learned his lessons in refusing to do as the healers say. Because of his compliance, he will be allowed to redress himself not much later and thirty minutes later he is finally released from the healing wing.

"Is there any news about master Qui-gon?" Obi-wan asks after sitting down next to Master Windu in the waiting area.

"Not yet, I've been waiting and also have informed the council about your's and your master's return" master Windu says. Just then one of the apprentice healers walks up to them.

"Master Windu, padawan Kenobi, we have managed to stabilize master Jinn's condition but will be keeping him in an induced coma a few days as his condition is too critical to place him in a baca tank. When his condition has sufficiently improved we will be moving him to a bacta tank. It should be noted that even after the bacta treatment his recovery will most likely take around a year before he is able to go on missions. The next six to seven months he should refrain from strenuous work and should avoid stress"

"Thank you for informing us, padawan" master Windu says. The padawan leaves to go back to his other duties while master Windu turns to Obi-Wan

"Padawan, go to your room to freshen up. You are expected at the council room in ninety minutes"

"Yes, master" Obi-Wan says and then goes back to his and his master's quarters to freshen up and eat a bit. Along the way, he comes across a group of younglings going to their next lesson. His attention is drawn to a blond haired boy walking next to a Kel Dor girl. Why his attention was drawn to the boy, he doesn't know. The boy holds nothing remarkable about him except for his strength in the Force. From his experience in helping out with the clans, he knows that the strength the boy has is something extraordinary. Also, he knows that most are really arrogant to their clan mates because they deem themselves better than others. Still, that doesn't explain why his attention was drawn to the boy.

* * *

Five minutes later Obi-Wan arrives at his quarters and quickly cleans himself before making his way to the refractory reserved for ranking members of the order. This means that only padawans or those higher in rank can eat there without a ranking member escorting them. He arrives there ten minutes later and grabs some food. When he looks around the room for a place to sit he sees that Bant and Galen are sitting together eating and that there are a few chairs unoccupied on their table. Walking up to them he asks

"Can I sit here with you?"

"Of course, Obi. I didn't know you would be back already. I thought that your mission would take a few more weeks. Why are you back already? And where is master Jinn?" Galen asks enthusiastically as he wants to know why his friend is back prematurely from his mission. This almost never happens unless the council deems the mission to be a lost cause or the jedi present is being replaced with another. But then they would have heard something about it as both situations would soon be known to the temple gossipers. Then they would have known about it.

"Well, after some events we had to leave Toswao in a hurry without finishing the mission. As to where my master is, he is in the healing halls and the reason why we had to leave in a hurry. I can't talk about everything as I'm expected by the council in approximately twenty minutes to have my mission debriefing" Obi-wan explains. He really wants with his friends about his mission but knows that he can't do so without first having had a mission debriefing. This is something all of them know full well. You can't talk about your mission if you haven't had your mission debriefing yet. Thus they spend their time talking about the latest gossip they heard. One of them is that master Dooku has recently been in-temple for months now. This is surprising for all as he hasn't been in the temple for years now and the rumor mill has been saying that he intends to leave the order altogether sometime in the future. They continue to talk while Obi-wan makes sure to keep track of time. He doesn't want to arrive late for the council meeting. This would be highly embarrassing and won't look good on his record. He knows that he is well on his way to being knighted but is also sure that it will take a few more years before he is actually ready. Ten minutes later he sees that he has to say goodbye to his friends because he needs to go to the council.

Five minutes later Obi-wan arrives at the council room and waits to be called inside. He looks out of one of the windows to Coruscant's traffic while gathering his thoughts about the mission. He doesn't have to wait long before the council calls him in and is secretly glad about it as it takes some pressure off him. This is actually the first time he will have a mission debriefing without his master being present. As he walks in he can see that not only master Windu and Yoda are present but also that master Giiett. He wonders why that is because this is not a situation where more masters are needed. Also, Obi-Wan wonders what master Dooku's interest is because he knows from his master that the bond between them has never been really strong and that they haven't talked to each other in over a year. In fact, he knows that his master despises his master greatly for reason Obi-Wan knows not. He makes sure to keep his wonderings hidden as he doesn't want to have questions asked about it by the masters.

"Padawan Kenobi, the council would like to know what happened on your mission to Toswao that you had to leave without finishing and also how your master got so badly injured" master Windu says after Obi-Wan has bowed to them while standing in the middle of the room.

"As you know my master and I was sent to Toswao to survey the planet for a possible entry into the republic. While there we learned that the planet is peaceful and acceptable for entry into the republic. The technology they have developed will in our opinion be tradable as well as the natural resources the planet possesses. This is but a summary of the most important things we learned during our mission. The details will be in our mission report but I don't know when we will be able to file it, masters. But that was not what you asked" Obi-Wan says and takes a deep breath before continuing.

"The reason for leaving the planet without finishing our mission is directly related to my master's injuries. While there we learned that some people want to have to leaders removed from their position and have been committing terrorist acts to get it done. As is with most terrorist, innocents have been among the victims all the time. When we were at a meeting between the public and the leadership of the planet to let the people voice their thoughts to them, a suicide bomber was discovered among the public. In the enduring chaos, my master managed to stop the bomber from detonating the bomb while everyone got out of the building. Once everyone was out my master jumped out of a building and was unfortunately caught by the explosion. I saw it happen from where I was standing outside of the building as my master had instructed me to make sure to get everyone out. The healers from Toswao didn't know how to treat my master's injuries sufficiently, they believed he would die from them but I knew that our healers would be able to help them. In the end, they made sure that we would be able to reach Coruscant. Thus I had my master brought onboard our ship and left the planet for Coruscant. What happened after that you all know" Obi-wan explains and waits for the masters to respond. He can see that they are all in deep thought.

"Thank you for your explanation, Padawan. If you would leave the room for a moment, we have matters to discuss which will affect you" master Windu says and Obi-Wan leaves the room. He wonders what they would have to discuss and can't come up with any reasonable explanation. It is all really mysterious for him and if he is honest with himself also frustrating. One thing he hopes for is that he is allowed to visit the clans so that he will be able to fully uncover why the Force directed him to the human younglings. Alright, it is rare that a senior padawan isn't allowed to visit the clans if he has time between his own lessons and training.

Meanwhile, in the council room, a heated discussion is taking place about who will temporarily take over Obi-Wan's training. They don't want him to be delayed in his knighting as he has to be ready to take on his future apprentice. For that, he has to be knighted this year or within six months of the next year. It also brings up the topic of how they will explain this to Master Jinn. All of them know that he will want to have an explanation and won't take no for an answer. All of the masters want to temporarily take over Obi-Wan's training but in the end, they all agree that master Windu will take over his training. It is then that they call Obi-Wan back into the room.

"Padawan Kenobi, we have reached a decision on the matters we had to discuss. It has been decided that master Windu will take over your training until your master can attend to it again by himself. He will also inform your master about the council's decision " master Giiett explains.

"Of course, masters" Obi-wan says but wonders why this is happening to him now. Having another master temporarily taking over a padawans training only happens with junior padawans and never before has it happened with a senior padawan. This all is really strange to him so he intends to ask master Windu about it once he has time for it. When master Windu stands up and leaves the council room shortly afterward Obi-wan follows him closely behind. Once they are outside master Windu turn around to him and asks

"Do you want to be there when I talk to master Jinn or not. This conversation will most likely happen in a few days. Currently, I will need to go teach a class of younglings. You can spend some time doing some individual training"

"Of course, master. I would like to visit the clans in a few days to learn more about the youngling I saw and why my attention was drawn to him" Obi-wan says but also knows that this is a discussion for masters. This means that he has no place being there.

"I don't see a problem with that, Obi-wan. The clans won't have lessons during the afternoon so it will be easy for you to visit with them then. But can you explain the situation to me when you saw the youngling?" master Windu asks having his interest drawn. He wonders if the youngling his attention was drawn towards is actually Anakin. This would mean that the Force is already drawing them together.

"I was on my way to my quarters when I came upon a clan going towards their lessons and the Force drew my attention to a human male child with blond hair walking next to a Kel Dor female. I could feel an incredible strength he has in the Force and that was also the only remarkable thing I could detect about him" Obi-wan explains calmly.

"Ah, I believe you came upon the juniors of the Berguutfa clan. I also know the boy you speak of. His name is Anakin Skywalker and he is a good student with some problems with emotional control. This would be something his future master would have to work on but the council believes that he will make an incredible knight" Master Windu says and is sure that Obi-wan has recently met his future padawan. Now it is just wondering how strong the connection between them will be now.

"Thank you, master. This will make it easier for me to meet him again in the future" Obi-wan says and makes his way towards one of the private dojo's to practice for some time. In a few days, he will go to the clan areas to meet up with Anakin and learn more about him. He hopes that he will discover why the Force drew his attention to him. But for now, he will practice his forms in case master Windu wants to test him later on and doesn't want to disappoint him. Meanwhile, Master Windu is making his way to the classroom where he has to teach a group of younglings.


	2. Chapter 2

Four days later Obi-wan is spending his time among the Berguutfa clan to learn more about Anakin and why he was drawn towards him while master Windu is standing outside a private room in the healing wing. He is waiting for the healers to let him enter and is not looking forward to the discussion he will soon have with his friend. He was informed by the healer that master Jinn had woken up a few hours ago and would be able to handle conversations so long as they would not last longer than an hour and would not stress him too much. They know that when a councilor wants to talk to one of their patients it is impossible not to stress them. That is why they have made it an unwritten rule to keep the stress to a minimum and are quick to remind a visiting master or counselor about it. Just then an apprentice healer leaves the room and says

"Master Windu, you can talk to master Jinn now but I would like to remind you to not stress him unnecessarily"

The apprentice then leaves while muttering something about impatient councilors and not choosing a better time to talk to one of their patients when they are still recovering. Master Windu is secretly happy to see the care this young apprentice healer has for his patients. He knows that this apprentice will become a good healer in the future. When the apprentice is gone master Windu quietly enters the room and can see his friend lying under blankets on a bed near the wall. He can also see that multiple pieces of equipment are connected to him and that his vitals are being monitored. His face still looks ashen and he appears to have fallen asleep since the healer left the room. If not for the mental touch he receives when he enters master Windu would have believed it.

"How are you feeling, my friend" master Windu says after sitting down on a chair that stands beside the bed. The presence of the chair makes him believe that there has been someone visiting master Jinn recently or that the apprentice healer was keeping an eye on him. Which is the case he can't tell.

"Horrible, I feel as if I have been overrun by a pack of banta's" master Jinn answers with a hoarse voice. Afterward, a silence falls over the room for a few minutes before Master Jinn asks "but that is not the reason why you came. So tell me why you have come"

"I have come to discuss your padawan's training" master Windu says calmly and can see the concern and confusion fall over his friend's face. He totally understands it as he would also be concerned if one of the council members came to tell him that they wanted to discuss his padawan's training.

"Does the council have any concerns about his training? I'm afraid I will be unable to address those concerns into the future because of my injuries. Once I'm sufficiently recovered I will make sure to address the council's concerns" master Jinn says but also wonders what the concerns the council could be as he has been careful in his teaching and no concerns have been noted to him in the past. He can't imagine what the concern could be and would have liked to have been informed about it earlier on. Preferably before Obi-Wan was made a senior padawan.

"No, the council doesn't have any concerns about how he has been trained but worries about a possible delay in his graduation because of your injuries. That is why they would like for another master to temporarily take over his training until such a time when you can do it again" master Windu explains.

"Why? In my opinion, he has a few years to go before he should be knighted" master Jinn says and is annoyed that the council would place his padawan under another master authority even if it is for a limited amount of time. His padawan is able to look after himself and keep his skills up until he can continue his training. Also, he knows that his padawan is almost ready for his trials but would like to have a bit more time to make sure he is fully prepared for whatever he could encounter. He doesn't want to rush Obi-Wan into his knighthood. Still, he is careful to keep his emotions hidden as he doesn't want to look back to his friend and besides he doesn't believe that the council should know his emotions. All this musing brings up the matter of who will be the master to take over his padawan's training because he knows that talking the council out of a decision is practically impossible. He hopes it is someone with whom he can get along so he asks

"Who will be the master to take over Obi-Wan's training?"

"I'll be taking over his training. As for having a few years to go before being ready, the council believes that your padawan is almost ready to take his trails. But most importantly, he will be needed for an important task in the future so he has to be ready to take it on when it is the time" master Windu says. He had stayed quiet to let his friend think and sort out his emotions. He knows how important it is to have your emotions sorted out after receiving shocking information. What he had told him, master Windu believes is shocking information. Especially if he places himself in the position as his friend is in now. He would also be having to sort out his raging emotions.

"What it this task he will be needed for?" Master Jinn asks while wondering why he hasn't been told about it. If he was he knows that he would have made sure that the council wouldn't be having to behave as they do now. Besides he would have been spending time on some special lessons to make sure he is fully prepared for the task he is destined to successfully complete the task the Force has in mind for him while making sure to have started to prepare him for his trials a few months ago.

Master Windu stays silent for a few minutes, much to Master Jinn's irritation, and thinks about what to tell his friend. Should he tell him the full truth, a partial truth or refuse to answer him altogether? Master Windu isn't sure what the correct step would be because if he wouldn't answer the question altogether them he knows that master Jinn will be pestering the council about the reason until he gets it. And not only the council. He would also be doing his own research into the task until he knows what it is. All that tells him the last option is not doable. As for telling a partial truth, master Windu doubts that his friend will fall for it. Master Jinn knows him to well for him to be able to keep things from him. Especially once he is looking to see if he I belong told the entire truth. Then it is really difficult for master Windu to be able to lie to him and because it concerns his padawan master Windu is absolutely sure that his friend will be asking questions until he is satisfied that he knows what the situation is. Thus the only option available for him is telling the entire truth to his friend even though he knows that his fellow councilors won't like it one bit. Looking at his friend he can see the impatience lurking in his eyes and knows that if he doesn't get answers soon he will be starting to ask questions with the purpose of discovering what the task is the Force set for him.

"Around five years ago, a knight brought a youngling to the temple whom he had recently freed from slavery. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to free the child's mother. It was discovered that the youngling is incredibly strong in the Force. This made us certain that we will train him. During the meeting, we held concerning the younglings master Yoda told us that the youngling could possibly be the chosen one and that the Force wanted him to be trained by your padawan. We know how you have been looking for the chosen one for some time and didn't want you to take an interest in him as the Force was clear in who would be training him. Also, we didn't want to burden your padawan by telling him that his padawan was already chosen for him. We wanted for him to focus on his training and grow into a good knight. Then just a few days ago, your padawan came upon the youngling with his group going to one of his lessons and his attention was pulled to the youngling. This gave me the impression that the Force was already pulling them together" Master Windu explains

"So you want to tell me that the Force wants my padawan to train the chosen one. No disrespect to my padawan, but there are many skilled and experienced masters who could train the boy. Why the Force would chose him? I probably will never know" Master Jinn says defeat-ably. He knows that he will be following the will of the Force but isn't happy that such a pressure was placed on his padawan's shoulders. His padawan is still young and he wants to protect him as much as he is able to do. Still, he will do everything he can to help his padawan in training his grandpadawan. Master Jinn knows that he would have loved to train such a boy but then the Force decided otherwise so he will take pleasure in being a grandmaster to the youngling. Through that, he is also able to teach the boys even if he is not responsible for the training and will be able to do things with the boy he couldn't do with his own padawan. Those things would not have been approved of by the council but a grandmaster can get away with it. Also, he has to smile at the council's reaction as it shows that they know him better than he suspected they did.

"Yes, I do" master Windu answers calmly. He feels glad that his friend seems to be accepting the decision of the council and is not fighting it as much as he has done other situations. He does suspect that his friend is already making plans to be able to interact with the boy. He will not object to it so long as it won't disturb the boy's training which he doubts will happen. Master Jinn is one who loves to meddle and prefers to stay in the moment but rarely does he interfere in a padawan's training.

"Is there anything else you would like to know?" Master Windu asks after some time spent in silence. He would prefer to end their discussion and discuss with Obi-Wan his new training schedule. This is also because he has spent about an hour discussing the situation with master Jinn and he needs to rest. He is sure that neither of them would like for the healers to chase him out of the room.

"Not at the moment. I would like to rest as I'm sure that the healers will soon be here to chase you out of this room and force me to take some sleep. I would like to avoid such a thing" Master Jinn answer. He knows how much of a bother someone of the healers can be about such things. He has been on both sides of such behavior in the past and will do everything he can to avoid having to experience it ever again.

"In that case, I will let you rest. I'll visit you again in a few days if my schedule permits it to inform you about your padawan's progress" master Windu says and calmly leaves the room. Once he is outside he can see that a healer is already moving towards the room. This shows that their discussion was ended just in time to avoid being berated by the healer. He suspects that the healer will be checking in on master Jinn before moving on to other work. Master Windu leaves the healing wing and goes to find Obi-Wan to discuss the training schedule they will stick to for the coming months it will take for master Jinn to recover or for him to be knighted. This also brings up the matter of assigning Obi-wan a few individual missions to prepare him for taking on missions on his own once he is a knight.


	3. Chapter 3

Three months later master Windu is taking a break between sparring with Obi-Wan after the latter's return from his second individual mission. He has to think back to the mission and its result as they were so that they would be remembered for a long time as one of the most successful missions done by a senior padawan. During that mission, Obi-Wan was tasked with escorting a senator safely back home and ensure the senator's safety until his return to the Senate. It was a relatively easy mission as there were but two attacks at the senator which Obi-Wan managed to deal with. Still, Obi-Wan has said that it was not easy to deal with the attackers and to keep the senator safe. That did t mean that he found a way to deal with it so as to get to best results. The senator himself was really pleased with his work and had told the council that he would hope to see him soon as a knight. His reaction showed that he Obi-Wan would have his preference when he would be assigned jedi as security in the future. This senator was from Chandrila and has been displeased with the actions of other jedi who were tasked with ensuring his safety. He was known to the council as a difficult senator for jedi so for him to be pleased by Obi-Wan's actions it shows that he will make a good knight in the future.

Also, master Windu has to think about what he saw during the spar. He is sure that Ataru doesn't fit Obi-Wan perfectly but that he would do much better with Soseru. Obi-Wan has the patience needed to use Soseru effectively but is not as aggressive as Ataru practitioners are normally in a fight. Thinking about this all makes him turn to see where Obi-Wan is resting so as to talk about what he saw. He sees him splashing water in his face near the side of the room.

When Obi-Wan notices that he is being looked at he turns around and looks into the direction he can sense the person looking at him is located. He is surprised to see that master Windu is looking at him with a thoughtful expression on his face and has to wonder what master Windu is thinking about. He was positive about the result he managed to get of his latest mission so knows that master Windu can't be thinking about that. Thus he has to wonder what his foster master is actually thinking about. He has to smile at the thought of seeing master Windu as his foster master. A foster master is normally only assigned to young padawan's to assist in the training or a prospective knight to make sure there won't be a delay in the training when the official master is unable to take care of the padawan's training. A prospective knight is a senior padawan who is close to taking his trials. Obi-Wan knows that the council is moving him closer to the position of a prospective knight as they have already given him two individual mission to test his skills and see if he knows what a knight needs to know to successfully complete missions. Success on those missions shows that a padawan is ready to become a prospective knight. This would explain the decision of the council in regard to his training and the assignment of master Windu as his foster master but all that doesn't explain master Windu's thoughtful expression. So to figure that out he moves to where master Windu is sitting and sits down next to him while asking

"Master, would it be acceptable for me to know what is on your mind?"

"I was thinking about an observation I made during our spar" master Windu answers calmly. He isn't surprised to see the confusion on Obi-wan's face. He knows that Obi-wan is smart and can easily tell that he didn't tell him everything.

"Might I ask what that observation was master?" Obi-Wan asks respectfully. He wants to know what the observation is that master Windu made and doesn't want to be told to wait until master Windu wants to tell him. He wants to make sure not to damage his chances of being made a prospective knight. He knows that he has to be respectful and not take any unnecessary risks so to avoid risking his chances. So he does his best to act like a knight should while also being respectful to master Windu as he is still a padawan and under the authority of Master Windu.

"I noticed that you are not as aggressive in fighting as Ataru practitioners typically are. I feel and believe that you have the patience to effectively use Soseru. I know it is not a style that is used often but would like for you to consider changing your fighting style to Soseru for these reasons. Think about it, Obi-Wan. There is no time limit attached to making such an important and life-changing decision" master Windu tells Obi-Wan while placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I will master" Obi-wan answers while starting to go over what he just learned and was told.

* * *

Two months later master Windu is again making his way to the healing wing for another visit with Master Jinn. Over the past months, he went to him as regularly as he could to keep him informed about Obi-wan's process as is expected of a foster master. He intends to do his best to convince his friend that Obi-wan is ready for his trials and should be recommended for being knighted before the council. By having the approval and permission of master Jinn he can move Obi-wan to his trials quicker as opposed to when he doesn't have it. A foster master is allowed to recommend his or her foster padawan for knighting without the approval and permission of the actual master but then the entire council should be in agreement with the foster master. In this case, master Windu is certain that he would have the agreement of the council to recommend Obi-wan for his knighting. Still, it would not do to recommend him before asking master Jinn about his opinion as he wants to avoid tension between them as much as possible. So he will ask master Jinn about it before recommending Obi-wan on his own authority while hoping to get his agreement and approval.

A few minutes later he reaches the healing wing and then takes the appropriate directions to Master Jinn's room. He knows the way there from his previous visits so doesn't have to go to the counter near the entrance of the healing wing. He arrives there just as an apprentice healer is leaving the room. The apprentice healer smiles and bows her head respectfully to master Windu as she sees him coming up on the room she just left and moves towards her next task without saying a word. Quietly master Windu enters the room and sees that his friend is trying to sleep a bit. Since the first time, he visited him master Jinn has needed less and less time to rest.

"Sorry to disturb you my friend, but I would like to speak with you for a few minutes" master Windu says before closing the door. He did this so as to wake his friend from his slumber while also making sure not that he doesn't scare him should he wake up unexpectedly and find someone in his room who he knows wasn't there when he went to sleep.

"By all means join me. I intended to sleep a bit as I'm usually bored when I'm here alone here and awake. Could I ask of you to bring me a few things to read?" Master Jinn asks with a sheepish look in his eyes. This raises the suspicion in master Windu as he is sure that his friend intends to read the reports that have been made about his padawan in the last few months. He knows that the healers don't want him to do so and wonders if he can do as his friend asks. Especially considering that he himself doesn't want to get in trouble with the healers for overtaxing their patient.

"I will see what I can do for you" master Windu says while placing a chair next to the bed. He sits on it for a few seconds when Master Jinn asks

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to talk to you about recommending Obi-wan for his trials as I believe he is ready to take them" master Windu says calmly while doing his best to hide his nerves. He truly hopes that his friend will agree to it so that he doesn't have to go over his head to get Obi-wan to take his trials. As for hiding his nerves, he doesn't want to have his friend know that he can be nervous as he feels he has to keep his reputation up.

"Do you now? Or is it that you want him to take them so that he will be ready to take his future padawan on when the time comes. I know that it is generally advised for knights to wait at least three years before taking on a padawan to ensure that they find their own routine in their missions" master Jinn says. He really doesn't want to lose his padawan even though he is also looking forward to becoming a grandmaster. Because of all this, he feels like he is being pulled in two directions and isn't sure which direction he should take.

"I do believe him to be ready for his trials thanks to the lessons you gave him. I didn't have to work with him on a lot of things. Those things I had to work with him on actually were on perfecting them" master Windu explains while keeping the fact that what his friend said is true from him. Also, he wouldn't put someone up for their trials if they weren't ready and Obi-wan is ready. That he will be ready in time to take on his future padawan is a welcome addition to the situation but not the primary reason why he has made his decision.

"I don't like it but if you believe him ready then I will support you. We both know that you will never let someone take their trials if you aren't sure that they are ready for them. I will be missing his presence once he is knighted though" Master Jinn says solemnly at the thought of actually losing his padawan to knighthood. By giving his permission he knows that it will now only take at most six months before Obi-wan takes his trails and only a few days more before he losses him.

"I know, Qui-gon. That is a feeling every master has every time their padawan is being knighted" master Windu says soothingly. He has experienced it when his last padawan entered knighthood. He missed her then but also knew that she had to separate herself from his influence so that she would become a skilled knight in her own right. All he taught her was to prepare her for her knighthood. After being knighted the young knights learn on their own how to do certain things by trial and error. Afterward, they talk for ten minutes about everything that happened since his last visit. Then master Windu leaves the room to let Master Jinn rest and he makes an official appointment with the council. As he is a councilmember he doesn't actually need to do such things but as it concerns his foster padawan it would be the right thing to do. He makes an appointment for the next meeting which will be in two days' time so long as there are no emergencies that they have to deal with.


	4. Chapter 4

Two days later in the evening, master Windu is making his way towards Obi-wan's quarters as he has started to call it. He wants to talk with Obi-wan about the decision the council made about his trials. As of yet, Obi-wan is unaware that he was recommended for his trials. When he made his recommendation to the council he could tell that they were equally as glad as he himself was if he is being honest with each other. The council told him that they approve of his recommendation and would be making the appropriate preparations before informing Obi-wan about the date when he would be taking his trials. It would not be for another month at least as they want him to have time to train himself for it as every other prospective knight has. That is one of the reasons master Windu wants to talk with him about. He wants to discuss the training he will be doing to prepare himself for his trails. For that, they will need to create a schedule for him to stick to. When he stands before the door he knocks on it twice and waits a few seconds for Obi-wan to open the door for him. Master Windu knows that as he also has a master key for all doors he could open it at any time. But doing so would be a great breach of trust and of his responsibilities as a council member. Every councilor has a master key for emergencies and emergencies only. Misusing this is a ground for removal from the council for at least thirty years.

"Master, I didn't know you would be visiting me today. Do you want to talk to me? Or do we have a mission to prepare for?" Obi-wan asks surprised. He hasn't heard anything about them being considered for missions in the last few months. This makes him wonder what is going on as it is unusual for a senior padawan to be kept in the temple for long. They could always accompany masters with junior padawans if they might need help or be send to assist others.

"We don't have a mission to prepare for but I indeed wanted to talk to you about something. Can I come inside?" master Windu asks while also knowing the answer he will get.

"Of course. Come inside master" Obi-wan says while stepping aside to give master Windu the space he needs to enter his quarters. The answer he got to his question is relieving as he doesn't want to spend much time apart from master Jinn. He would like to see to it that he recovers quickly while also keeping him from overdoing it and upsetting the healers. The last two would not be surprising at all as Master Jinn doesn't like to be confined and doesn't like healers at all.

Soon master Windu sits down on one of the chairs in the sitting area while Obi-wan is busy making some tea and getting some refreshments for both of them. A short while later he returns with two cups of tea and some refreshments on a tray. He places the tray on the table and gives the master his cup before taking his own and sitting down on another chair.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about, master?" Obi-wan asks curiously. As he hadn't expected master Windu to come visit him he also has no idea what the master wants to talk about. He hopes it is nothing too serious even though he can't come up with anything.

"This afternoon I had a council meeting as you know. During that meeting, I recommended you for your trials with the approval of Master Jinn. Right now the council is working on a schedule for your trials and for that reason we need to discuss a training schedule for yourself" master Windu explains and is amused by the surprise on Obi-wan's face. It is truly remarkable that he is so surprised that it can be seen on his face. Normally Obi-wan is really good at keeping a blank face ever since he became a senior padawan.

"Really, master?" Obi-wan asks surprised. He never expected to be recommended for his trials just yet but that doesn't mean that he isn't happy to be able to take his trials in a few months. He is aware of the fact that he needs to prepare for that. For that reason, Obi-wan believes that master Windu wants to make the training schedule. As master Windu won't be allowed to help him train for his trials he knows that he will be making the schedule on his own. Master Windu will only be giving him advice if he needs it.

"Yes, really. Shall we discuss the training schedule or do you want time to collect yourself?" master Windu asks. He feels that Obi-wan has managed to calm himself down enough to focus on the making of the schedule but would like to give him the choice when to discuss it this evening. This is something that has to be planned correctly or it the effects of a bad training schedule will be visible during the trials.

"Now, please master. I don't want to postpone it" Obi-wan answers calmly. He feels ready to make the schedule and is aware of the untold reasons for master Windu's offer. This schedule, he knows, will have a large effect on his trails and his chances of passing them. That is why it should be made with a lot of attention and time. The next two hours they spend on the making of the training schedule. In the end, they come up with a schedule both are confident will ensure the best chances for Obi-wan to pass the trials. Not that master Windu isn't confident that Obi-wan will pass his trials.

* * *

For the next four months Obi-wan trains for his trails with the occasional aid of his friends or master Windu. Part of his training is spent in the training rooms and part is spent in the archive. Also, Obi-wan meditates a lot so that he can reflect on the day's training.

When his friends heard the rumor that he has been recommended for his trails they ambushed him in the hallways to find out if the rumor was real. When he told them that it is real they were all really excited for him and helped him with his training whenever they had time to do so. He is sure that they are already making plans for the party every new knight gets from their friends and former clan mates for passing the trials. He is looking forward to what they are planning especially because he knows that they will be in-temple after his trails. They told him that they would make sure to be around after he passed his trails and went through the knighting ceremony so that they will be able to celebrate it.

Right now, Obi-wan pulls himself out of his recollection as he needs to focus on his training and the break he took had been long enough as it is. He gets up from the bench and walks back to the middle of the room to practice his lightsaber skills once more. Afterwards, he goes to the Archive to study some texts that might show to be important for his trails.

* * *

One week later Obi-wan is making his way to the council room from the Tranquillity Spire. He is grateful that his master is sufficiently recovered that he can attend his knighting. He is also glad to finally become a knight. He has worked for this day ever since his master took him on as a padawan. Also, Obi-Wan feels quite nervous about the coming ceremony as it is a milestone in his life and signifies that he will be leaving his master to work on his own. This is, even after the solo mission he has had in the past, a daunting prospect for him. Obi-wan wonders if all new knights feel like this or if it is just him. Just then he comes upon the council room and waits there until he is called inside for his knighting. He spends his time waiting by looking out is the window unto Coruscant's traffic.

"Good morning, padawan" Master Jinn says as he comes upon Obi-wan. He is sad that his padawan will be leaving him already but also proud of his achievements. He is looking forward to watching his padawan grow from the sideline.

"Good morning, master" Obi-wan says respectfully while Bowie g his head slightly. Just as he wants to say more they are interrupted and called into the darkened council room. He experiences the ceremony in a sort of haze while he can clearly recall giving his braid to his master. He does this to thank master Jinn for the training he has given him and so that his master has something to remember him by. Obi-wan is well aware that most masters don't see their padawan often after the knighting. By giving the braid, the master can remember his padawan.


End file.
